Brown encouraged by Moultrie's progress, but wants to see more

DENVER – Arnett Moultrie continues to progress toward a return to the court. It’s what he does after that, however, that Brett Brown is most concerned with.

Moultrie engaged in a 5-on-5 practice earlier this week, his first such session since injuring his left ankle in preseason conditioning drills. The 76ers’ second-year forward, who had surgery in September, is working his body into game shape, which could be at least a week away.

“There’s no timetable,” Moultrie said Wednesday, before the Sixers faced the Denver Nuggets. “I don’t know when I’m going to start dressing. I haven’t talked to Coach or KJ (head trainer Kevin Johnson) about that.”

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While Moultrie’s eventual return is enticing to Brown, the first-year coach said he needs to see a higher motor out of the 6-8, 240-pounder when he finally hits the floor.

When Brown was a candidate last summer for the Sixers’ coaching gig, he said, he liked what he saw from afar out of Moultrie in the Orlando Summer League. Still, Brown said, he pines for more activity and more energy from Moultrie, who tends to coast in terms of rebounding and defending.

“If he can (bring energy), he’s going to help us and he’s going to earn a fairly significant income and he’s going to stay in the NBA for a while,” Brown said. “There are a lot of players like Arnett out there that hang around and end up (playing) in Istanbul.

“The challenge for him, and to him, is I think he could be an NBA keeper provided he understands his road map – and it needs to be one of a fierce competitor and something that’s energized and not cruisy and time-to-time. That’s his knock. That’s what we need. He’s wide-eyed when we talk to him.”

The Sixers must have liked what they saw out of Moultrie, when he averaged 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds as a rookie. In October, they picked up the third-year, $1.13 million option on his rookie deal, meaning he’s one of the few on Brown’s roster with a somewhat locked-in future with the club.

Like Brown said, though, there could be a lot more dollars where that comes from, assuming Moultrie brings intensity to the floor when he eventually gets cleared to play.

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With elevation at Pepsi Center being a concern of Brown’s, the Sixers coach admittedly ran his team ragged the day before they were to face the Nuggets, in the hope of indoctrinating them with the thin air of the Mile High City.

“I wanted to burn them down (Tuesday) in practice and let them experience this,” Brown said. “Everybody’s body is different. We talk lots about hydration. We talk lots about stretching. I think the practice we had (Tuesday) got them, especially the young guys, used to what they’re going to experience in the first five to seven minutes of the game, or when they come in.”

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It may not be his preference, but Randy Foye has come alive in coming off the bench for Denver.

A seventh-year guard out of Villanova, Foye was in the starting five against the Sixers, ending a two-game stint in which Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has turned to him off the bench. Shaw said he’s seen renewed play from Foye, who had responded to his demotion. He was shooting 7-for-11 with an average of 11 points, 4.5 assists and 1.0 turnover in 24 minutes per game his last two times out.

Foye had averaged fewer than four points per game in his previous eight appearances, before being moved from starter to reserve.